Syrian FM confirms blasts at Damascus military airport caused by short circuit

A chain of explosions at Mazzeh military airport in Damascus, Syria, late Saturday was caused by a short circuit at a nearby ammunition depot, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has said. “As we understood from sources in the Syrian Defense Ministry, the reason for these explosions was a short circuit resulting from overheating, which was not the result of illegal Israeli aggression,” he told Rossiya 24 television. It comes after previous reports suggested the site was targeted by an Israeli missile attack or airstrike. The airport is a key Syrian air force base located in the Mazzeh (Mezzeh) municipality to the southwest of central Damascus.